Nikki Haley

Nimrata "Nikki" Haley is U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011. From 2011 until 2017, she was the Governor of South Carolina. Haley has no significant foreign policy experience.

Timeline

2015.07.09

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signs a bill removing the Confederate battle flag from the capitol.nbcnews.com

The bill follows the shooting of nine churchgoers by a white supremacist who was convicted of murder.

Nikki Haley outlines her vision for the role of the US at the United Nations: "Our goal with the admin is to show value at the UN and the way that we will do that is to show strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure our allies have our back as well," Haley said. "For those who don't have our backs, we're taking names."nbcnews.com(See also United Nations)

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blamed Russia for the recent surge of violence in eastern Ukraine and warned Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia will not be lifted until Moscow returns Crimea to Kiev.uk.mobile.reuters.com(See also United Nations, Russia, Revi)

2017.02.10

Nikki Haley blocks the appointment of Salam Fayyad, former Palestinian prime minister, for a senior U.N. position as envoy to Libya in a move intended to signal U.S. support for Israel and its defense of the position that there is no Palestinian state.nytimes.com(See also United Nations, Israel)

2017.02.13

Nikki Haley responds to North Korean ballistic missile launch with a statement at the U.N.: "We call on all members of the Security Council to use every available resource to make it clear to the North Korean regime, and its enablers, that these launches are unacceptable." The phrase "enablers" refers to China and is seen as an unusually public criticism.cnn.com(See also United Nations, North Korea)

The print statement issued by new US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on North Korea's missile launch was more notable than the UN Security Council action on the launch.

2017.02.16

Nikki Haley issues a statement on Israel following a security council meeting at the United Nations:. "I’m here to say the United States will not turn a blind eye to this anymore. I am here to underscore the ironclad support of the United States for Israel. I’m here to emphasize the United States is determined to stand up to the UN’s anti-Israel bias."unwatch.org(See also United Nations, Israel)

Russia vows to veto sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons, prompting a rebuke from U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley.uk.reuters.com(See also United Nations, Syria)

2017.03.09

Nikki Haley rebuffed a proposal from China that the U.S. “apply the brakes” to an escalating standoff with North Korea, saying “positive action” was required before it would engage with the “irresponsible” Kim Jong Un.washingtonpost.com(See also China, North Korea)

2017.03.15

In her first interview as United Nations Ambassador, Nikki Haley breaks with the White House, saying, "We should never trust Russia." She also reverses her vehement opposition to Trump's Muslim Ban, saying it is not about religion.today.com(See also Muslim Immigration Ban)

2017.03.16

The U.S. delegation to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women assembled by Ambassador Nikki Haley includes the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam), a group that supports the criminalization of homosexuality.hrw.org(See also United Nations, Homophobia, LGBTQIA)

2017.03.17

Nikki Haley and other world leaders condemn a report issued by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia claiming that Israel is imposing an apartheid regime on Palestinians. The report is pulled and Under-Secretary General Rima Khalaf resigns.reuters.com(See also United Nations, Israel)

2017.03.29

Nikki Haley describes the U.S. as the “moral conscience” of the world, calls the U.N. Human Rights Council “so corrupt” without offering evidence, and says the U.S. would never close its doors to foreigners who flee persecution, even as she defended Trump’s Muslim Ban.nytimes.com(See also United Nations, Muslim Immigration Ban)

2017.03.29

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley says Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is a "big hindrance in trying to move forward" to find an end to the country's six-year conflict; "the U.S. and Russia could definitely talk."reuters.com(See also United Nations, Syria)

2017.03.30

Nikki Haley and Rex Tillerson say the U.S. diplomatic policy on Syria is no longer focused on making the war-torn country's president, Bashar al-Assad, leave power. This puts the Trump administration at odds with European powers.reuters.com(See also United Nations, Syria, Rex Tillerson)

2017.03.31

Steven Groves, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's chief of staff, advocates severing relations with the U.N. Human Rights Council, pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, and refusing to cooperate with the International Criminal Court.nytimes.com(See also Foreign Policy)

2017.04.03

Nikki Haley says Trump will pressure China to respond to ballistic missile launches by North Korea.reuters.com(See also China, North Korea)

2017.04.17

Nikki Haley says: "The president has not once called me and said 'don't beat up on Russia,' has not once called me and told me what to say. I am beating up on Russia."politico.com(See also Russia)

2017.06.27

The White House issued a statement Monday evening threatening to exact "a heavy price" in response to a potential chemical attack by the Syrian government, but senior national security officials were caught off guard and had no idea a statement was coming that threatened military action - a major step.nbcnews.com(See also Administration Errors, Syria, Department of State, Rex Tillerson)

2017.08.08

Trump's retweet of a Fox News story claiming US satellites detected North Korea moving anti-ship cruise missiles to a patrol boat raised concerns after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley indicated that the information in the report is classified and was leaked.cnn.com(See also Unprecedented Actions, North Korea)

President Donald Trump's retweet of a Fox News story claiming US satellites detected North Korea moving anti-ship cruise missiles to a patrol boat is raising eyebrows on Tuesday after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley indicated that the information in the report is classified and was leaked.

Analysis

ON SUPPORT FOR THE UNITED NATIONS:

The nomination of Haley to the United Nations is seen by some as indicative of Trump's attitude toward the United Nations. Her lack of experience in foreign policy as well as Trump's dismissive tweets about the United Nations suggest that he does not see value in American participation in that body.

Haley questioned the priorities and effectiveness of the world body, which Trump has called a toothless debating society, but said she intends to “fix” what doesn’t work.

“I have no problem calling people out,” Haley said.

The United Nations is “often at odds with American national interests and American taxpayers,” Haley said, adding that she would use the “leverage” of potential cuts in U.S. funding to demand reform.

“We contribute 22 percent of the U.N.’s budget, far more than any other country. We are a generous nation,” Haley said. “But we must ask ourselves what good is being accomplished by this disproportionate contribution. Are we getting what we pay for?”

ON WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH:

One of the first acts of the Trump administration was to re-institute, with the full support of Nikki Haley, the "global gag rule," a policy that blocks U.S. financial assistance for any international organization that funds abortion. In an opinion piece on February 2, 2017 on Rewire, Gillian Kane says:

If former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's track record is any guide, we can anticipate she will advance the Trump administration’s ambition to eviscerate access to the full range of reproductive choices, both at home and globally.